New Survey Reveals Career Interests Of The Future US Workforce

Job reports often project future in-demand jobs, but those demands may go unanswered if these careers do not align with the interests of young people – the individuals who will fill the jobs of tomorrow. Exploring, a co-ed career-development program created by the Boy Scouts of America, today released the findings of its Career Interest Survey that sheds light on what today’s young people actually want to be when they grow up. The survey highlights the need for programs that help bridge young people’s career interests with in-demand careers through hands-on experiences.

The survey, which was fielded in 2016 to more than 150,000 students from 8th to 12th grade, gauged interest in more than 200 career options and resulted in a top 10 list that ranged from in-demand medical positions like nurses and physicians to more aspirational positions like professional athletes, singers, and actors. The survey also revealed that childhood ambitions evolve with maturity. Middle school respondents were twice as likely as their twelfth grade counterparts to select careers in athletics and the arts, while interest in health and business careers increased as respondents entered high school. In fact, the most popular careers were in STEM-related fields with 45 percent of respondents expressing the most interest in careers such as physician, mechanical engineer, computer programmer or marine biologist, with the health care field drawing the most interest.

“As a society, we must take the question of ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’ and flip it on its head. It’s a difficult question for many young people to answer and one they shouldn’t have to answer on their own. We must show youth the vast opportunities that exist and explain how their current interests can lead to a rewarding career in the future,” said Michael Surbaugh, Chief Scout Executive, Boy Scouts of America.

Health Care is HotFour of the 10 most popular career options cited by survey respondents were in the health care field, an area that is expected to grow in the coming years as the U.S. population grows older. Other science and engineering fields drew interest from 18 percent of respondents, with mechanical engineer rounding out the top 10 fields garnering the most student interest. The top 10 most popular careers include:

Only 3 percent of survey respondents expressed interest in one of the skilled trades, and nearly half of those – 46 percent – are interested in automotive work, a field that may experience decreasing demand as vehicle technology advances.

Gender Gaps Persist in Numerous FieldsFemale respondents expressed less interest in engineering, business and trades than men, while male students expressed less interest in healthcare, social services, and arts and humanities.

Eighteen percent of male students chose an engineering career, compared to 3 percent of females.

Twelve percent of male respondents expressed interest in a health career compared to 40 percent of female respondents.

Male respondents were twice as likely to choose a business career as women (14 percent vs. 7 percent).

Young women who took the survey were 86 percent less likely than young men to say they want a career in computing – such as programming, support, analytics, and software development.

“In addition to informing career choices, the workplace experiences provided through Exploring can help debunk some of the stereotypes and social patterns that persist today,” Surbaugh said. “If we can help students see that people from all walks of life can succeed in a wide range of fields, we can open their eyes to career opportunities that they may not have previously considered.”

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